*Sijo is a Korean poem consisting of 44 to 46 syllables in three lines with 14 to 16 syllables each line. Predating haiku, it appeared in the late 10th to early 11th century although it took another 600 years for the sijo to flower. Unlike haiku, it uses metaphors, puns and allusions as well as other poetic devices.

Delicate and compact, sijo covers a wide range of subjects such as politics, love, life, music, nature, loneliness, and even personal mundane matters like drinking and aging. It embodies the complex and unique concept of sadness and hope called Han, the very core of Korean life.